Crucible-furnace



M. MATHY.

CRUCIBLE FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED 00127, 1919.

Patented Dec. 20, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I- M. MATHY.

CRUCIBLE FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED 00121, 1919.

1,400,759. Patented Dec. 20, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- e s U 0 o I BE? g a @Q I 0 24g Q Q In van/i797":

Maw/W126 M; MATHY.

CRUCIBLE FURNACE. I

APPLlCATION FILED OCT. 2?, I919- I Patented'Dec. 20, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Mawrz z e Naif/ fi/farn li MAURICE MATHY, 0F LIEGE, BELGIUM.

GRUOIBLE-FURNAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 211', 1921.

Application filed October 27, 1919. Serial No. 333,726.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAURICE MATHY, manufacturer, a subject of the King of Belgium, and resident of Liege, in the Klngdom of Belgium, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Crucible-Furnaces; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others, skilled in the art to which it appertains, to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to lettersor figures of reference marked therein, which form a part of this specification.

The present invention relates to a gas crucible furnace, for use particularly in glass furnaces.

In the crucible furnaces hitherto utilized it is necessary before introducing the crucibles into them to anneal them, and for this purpose use is made of a special furnace termed an annealer.

The object of the present invention is to do away with the use of this special furnace by effecting the annealing of the crucible in the melting furnace itself, and to effect during the melting such a distribution of the heat that the chances of fracture of the crucible are greatly diminished.

To this end the crucible is placed upon a slab of refractory material arranged above the burner.

This slab may also be constructed to re ceive the fused material in case of fracture of the crucible and carry it away by a suit able pipe to a suitable place.

In one particular constructional form of the invention this pipe may be arranged vertically underneath the slab and may pass through the burner and open into a special chamber, termed the glass hole in the case of a glass furnace.

It is obvious that the slab which forms the subject matter of the present invention may be applied to a furnace of any type in combination with a burner which may like wise be of any type.

Th drawings which accompany the present specification show two constructional forms of the invention as applied to a furnace holding only one crucible and provided with a burner which burns without any flame.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a section through the furnace.

Fig. 2 represents the slab used in the furnace shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line AB, of Fig. 1. In this figure the porous and refractory material of the burner is removed.

Fig. at is section through a furnace in which use is made of a slab of a different type.

Fig. 5 shows this slab.

In the case of Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the crucible l placed in the chamber 2 of the furnace 3 stands on a slab 5 shown in detail in Fig. 2. This slab is placed above the burner 6 shown in horizontal section in Fig. 3.

The burner is composed of a cylindrical chamber in the middle of which rises the pillar 7 of refractory material on which the slab 5 is supported at its center. Around the periphery of the wall of this cylindrical chamber open a number of fines 8 which are partially covered over by the slab 5. The

cylindrical chamber and the above mentioned dues are filled with pieces of porous and refractory material in the interstices of which the gaseous mixture burns.

The gas is supplied by the pipe 9 to the annular passage 10 and thence by openings 11 to the said cylindrical chamber of the burner.

The air which may be supplied for example from a regenerator is delivered by the flue 12 into the annular passage 18 and thence by openings 1% into the said cylindri' cal chamber of the burner. 90

The products of combustion are carried away by the chimney 15. When the furnace is lighted, as a small quantity of heat spreads progressively throughout the chamber 2 through the space left uncovered by the slab, the slab 5 heats up slowly and stores up heat. This slab prevents the bottom of the crucible from being heated too abruptly and consequently swelling up and bursting.

uring the time necessary for the heating up of this slab the crucible is heated moderately and its annealing is produced.

When the slab is heated up, it steadily regulates, owing to its great bulk, the temperature by forming a thermal governor.

In a word this slab assists in insuring a distribution of the heat which responds at any moment of the operation to the various conditions required.

The slab is represented in detail in Fig. 2.

It is provided on its periphery with a ledge 16 having a slope 17 on which the crucible rests. such a way that should fracture of the crucible take place, for example, the melted material is received upon this slab and is carried away by a pipe 18. which, in the furnace shown in Fig. 1, opens out at the bottom of this furnace toward the front. 7

The constructional form shown in Figs. 42 and 5 differs from the preceding one by the shape given to the slab which in Fig. 4 is denoted by the number 19 and by the manner in which the melted material is carried away.

In other respects the working of the furnace is similar to that of the furnace shown in Fig. 1.

The slab shown in Fig. 5 is provided with a vertical central passage 20 which delivers the melted material into a passage 21 which is bored through the pillar 22 rising at the center of the cylindrical chamber of the burner, and opening into a special chamber in which this material collects.

If it is considered necessary grooves to assist the passage of the melted material between the crucible and the ledge may be made in the .slope with which the ledge is provided.

It is'obvious that the present invention ex- Its surface is also hollowed out in tends to furnaces for holding a plurality of crucibles, and each of'thern may be placed on a slab or one and the same slab may serve for a number of vthem.

What I claim is: V

1. A crucible furnace comprising a gas burner arranged vertically and a readily removable slab of refractory material substantially closing the top of said burner and having a conically hollowed out upper sur face adapted to support the crucible, said slab being provided with a passage leading from the apex of said conical surface for carrying away any molten material out of 

